Friday, January 31, 2014

How Meditation Can Make You A Better Leader

Business schools have a role to play in creating self-aware leaders, not just technically competent managers

When I was a CEO, I learned what it was to be a decision-maker, never able to switch off, always on the move and always on the phone. I’ve founded and run four companies during my career, one of which ended up being listed on the NASDAQ. That event changed my life. Going from an entrepreneurial leader to a leader of a listed company threw me into a swirl of stakeholders, shareholders and federal regulators. The stress in my life increased exponentially.

That’s when I first turned to meditation. After attending a three-day executive workshop where meditation and mindfulness were on the curriculum, I saw first-hand how powerful this tool was.

At first, I was looking for ways to better manage my business. What meditation taught me was ways to better manage myself. Meditation creates space ― space in one’s mind to think. A few minutes in the morning and again in the evening is all that is necessary to help centre yourself and to help you focus. It helped me to put stress and demands in a container, dealing with them slowly and focusing on the important decisions, both at work and at home. (MORE)